Mr. Annandale is an annual event hosted by the AHS Leadership during which senior and junior males compete for the title of “Mr. Annandale.” To be crowned “Mr. Annandale” required contestants to have an original talent, atom spirit, be physically fit and able to admirably respond to a question within 30 seconds.

Many students attended the event hoping that their choice of Mr. Annandale would win in addition to simply having a good time watching their male friends strut their stuff.

Prior to the show, junior Kathleen Nguyen said, “I’ve never been to one so it should be loud and fun. I think Bob [Stevens] should win because he’s doing the single ladies dance.”

Senior Madina Israilova, a leadership staff member, said, “I hope it’ll be entertaining, packed, and ‘awesomelicious’.” Her expected choice for Mr. Annandale was Charles Simpson.

The contestants for this year’s Mr. Annandale were seniors August McCarthy, Ben Wilson, Hasib Iqbal, Charles Simpson, Jack Velazquez and juniors Joey Mazzara, Dan Oviatt and Bob Stevens.

“I wasn’t at the one last year but I was very anxious and excited for this one,” said Iqbal.

Each contestant was evaluated by four judges, AHS teachers Alan Weintraut, John Hawes, Amy Graham and Kathleen Dion.

“Leadership approached me and asked me if I would judge and was honored to be considered for so esteemed position. I’m hoping to laugh a lot and watch the talent of young men at this high school,” said English teacher and Judge Amy Graham.

The judges critiqued each contestant’s efforts in five different categories. Each contestant had to walk down the runway with a female escort, flaunt their talent and atom spirit, show off their muscles (the portion the audience seemed to enjoy most) and lastly answer a questionnaire.

The talent portion was exceptionally diverse with students playing instruments, singing and even dancing to the “Singles Ladies” song.

Later, the boys showed off their school spirit through chants, cheers and songs which included Simpson dressing as an “Atom Boy.”

The competition wrapped up with a bang as the boys walked across the stage primarily shirtless. This was greatly enjoyed by all of the females who as they screamed, cheered and whistled.

But all good things had to come to an end and a winner had to be chosen. Though becoming “Mr. Annandale” was the overall prize, there were also three sub-categories: elegance, talent and muscles. Wilson found himself winning the elegance category as well as being the third runner-up. Iqbal was the runner-up and it was Simpson who won both the talent and muscle category and landed himself with the title, “Mr. Annandale.”

“It was fun, it was a good time. I think everyone enjoyed it which is important,” said Simpson. “People have been very congratulatory and seem pretty hyped about the win,” he said.

“I thought it was better than last year. I wish I was a little more organized in the beginning. The crowd was really supportive. I wouldn’t mind doing it next year,” said Mazzara when sharing his closing thoughts on the show.

“I am looking forward to playing at a higher level and see what I can really do,” said Bermingham who has been playing lacrosse for nine years.

Earning an athletic scholarship takes years of dedication to the sport and academically. “Their achievement really is amazing, it takes tremendous commitment to reach this level,” said lacrosse coach, Cindy Hook. “Only about 5 percent of high school athletes go on to play their sport in college; these girls are the best of the best.”

Scholarship recipients not only secure their spot on a college team but also get the majority of their undergraduate education paid for. “This scholarship is really helpful, college is really expensive; every bit helps,” said Clarke who has been playing soccer for 13 years.

“I am extremely proud, they are both competitors and great students,” said Dick Adams. “They showcase the type of character of students at our school.”

Late buses are free and provide time for students to get extra help, meet with teachers, participate in clubs and after school extra-curricular activities. Junior Zeni Safe-Selassie says “I’m happy because my mom is getting tired of driving me around. And it doesn’t look cool to have your mom drive you around Annandale in a mini-van.”

This extra late bus is especially helpful for students looking for extra help, students hoping to get more help for the SOL’s, and even failing students. These late busses are also helpful for those students whose parents both work and don’t have time to pick up. Buses leave Annandale High School promptly at 4:30pm and return students to their homes. These late buses and stops are not the same as the regular bus schedules, so be sure to ride the right bus.

Even though this opportunity is great for students to take advantage of, do teachers feel the same way? Annandale teachers are asked to stay after and dedicate a couple extra hours of their afternoon to helping students. But History teacher Megan Saladino says “Oh, I think it’s great.”

“Each bracelet sells for two dollars and the money goes directly to the victims of natural disasters around the world. It does not stop at Haiti, because other countries such as Chile are being affected,” said AHS leadership member Maha Shah.

The AHS hallways have become dotted with the multi-colored bracelets.

“I was extremely curious when I saw all those kids walking around with a blue-red bracelet. Later on, I found out it was for the victims in Haiti and I bought one right away,” said senior Rami Jabari.

The bracelets provide students a simple way to donate toward a good cause. Generally, students do not have credit cards, making it difficult to donate to the victims in Haiti. However, AHS leadership is selling the bracelets in the cafeteria during the lunch periods, giving students an easy way to lend a hand to the needy.

“I don’t really know any other way of donating money to the people in Haiti, so I just bought this bracelet. It’s important to help those people out, because they are suffering over there,” said sophomore Ziya Jahangir.

“We have been selling many bracelets and have raised a lot of money for those victims [affected by the natural disasters]. Also, we will stop selling the bracelets in late March, so remember to purchase your bracelets before it’s too late,” said Maha.

Those in Haiti and Chile are suffering, whether it is due to losing a family member or because of physical injury. Help is needed, and it can start with a simple donation through the purchase of a bracelet.

FCPS students selected for the 2010 Virginia All-State Chorus and as alternates are:

Annandale High School: Chris Fuller, Anne Hruskoci, Julie Jurenas, Daren Lopez Villanueva, Joseph Mazzara, Benjamin Odom, John Odom, Rebecca Pelkey, Lydia Pion, Jessica Riddle, Molly Sgrecci, and Hope Stadulis and alternates Daniel DeVera, Kevin Fields, Elliot Kiemel, Michelle Kinzer, Devante Mosley, Zene Saife-Selassie, and Alay Tedla.

Battle of the Classes from A-Blast TV on Vimeo.

Each class competes against each other in a variety of events to win money for their class.

1 low carb tortilla

1/4 cup of egg white

1/4 cup fresh Pico de Gallo

1 tablespoon shredded monterey jack cheese

1. Heat the tortillas in a microwave for 20 seconds

2. Wrap the tortillas in foil to keep warm and set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.

4. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray and add the egg and cheese onto the skillet.

5. Allow the egg mixture to start setting and then flip with a spatula until eggs are cooked through. This should take about 2 minutes.

6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Place the egg mixture onto the tortilla.

8. Fold the tortilla and cut in half.

9. Finish with fresh pico de gallo and a pinch of cheese on top.

The story is about a young girl, named Alice, who follows a white rabbit she hears panicking over being late, as he ducks into a rabbit hole. As she falls further and further down the rabbit hole, she discovers a whole other world, where animals can speak and strange creatures roam. While there, she meets characters such as the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, and the infamous Queen of Hearts.

While many know about the quirky characters, few know the man behind these crazy imaginative stories. Lewis Carroll was actually the pseudonym for Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, who taught Mathematics at Oxford. Carroll is believed to have been a handsome man, but was known for his partial deafness as well as a stammer which can be traced to a childhood case of whooping cough.

He has often been described as “socially ambitious;” however, it is suspected that he was able to relate to children much easier than other adults. It was because of his ability to relate to children that Carroll met his inspiration for the character of Alice, a young girl named Alice Liddell, the daughter of a close friend and associate at Oxford, Henry Liddell in 1856. He quickly became close with Alice and her two sisters, and it is rumored that one day while outside having a picnic with the young girls, Carroll thought of the idea of his most successful novel.

Although a seemingly unlikely candidate to write such a fantastic and timeless book, Carroll published the book after urgings from Alice Liddell herself to write down the stories he told her all the time. He presented her with an illustrated and hand written copy of the book in 1864, which he titled Alice’s Adventures Underground, just a year after presenting it to Macmillan the publishers. The company immediately picked up the book, but tested out different titles such as Alice Among the Fairies and Alice’s Golden Hour before finally deciding on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The book was an instant success.

Years after the books release, controversies emerged surrounding Carroll. One assertion made by those close to the author were that he was a drug addict and many of his works were written while under the influence of these drugs. However, others believe that his use may have been occasional and but for medical purposes. No real evidence exists to confirm or deny either theory. There has also been debate about the appropriateness of his relationship with Alice Liddell, but that too cannot be confirmed.

Regardless of all the rumors, Alice and Wonderland, has continued to have success over the years. A live remake featuring stars such as Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway was recently filmed and will be released on today, March 5.

Although the soundtrack of the movie, Almost Alice has gotten rave reviews, reaching the number two spot for most purchased album on iTunes just two days after its release, the movie itself has produced mixed reviews. While the hype has been huge about the release of this remake, several critics, such as those featured on Rotten Tomatoes, a movie review website, gave the film a somewhat mediocre evaluation. And, after seeing the previews and movie trailer AHS students expressed doubts about seeing it at all.

Sophomore Abby Meseker said, “I don’t think I would because am not really into those kind of movies but that doesn’t mean that its not going to be interesting for others.”

Freshman Colleen Adenan had a similar opinion. She explained, “Probably no because it looks kind of creepy and it doesn’t seem like the cartoon version when its supposed to be a sequel to that.”

Other students, however, such as Sophomore Kayla Meadows, like the ‘creepiness factor’ behind this new version. She explained, “I would go see it, because it looks very interesting and a little twisted and I like that aspect of movies.”